Process of treating fatty substances.



No. 665,244. Patenied Jan. |9o|.

P MAGNIER.

PROCESS OF TREATING FATTY SUBSTANCES.

(Application filed. Mar. 18, 1900.)

(No Model.)

- InenZoril i nedaf'eaffi I %5 z I 4 I [521/ UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

PAUL MAGNIER, OF BILLANCOURT, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO PIERRE ARMAND BRANGIER AND CHARLES TISSIER, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

PROCESS OF TREATING FATTY SUBSTANCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,244, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed March 13, 1900. Serial. No. the-91. (No specimens.)

To all whom i m y COW/067%: fifty per cent. The quantity of sulfuric acid Beitknown that LPAUL MAGNIER,chemist, necessary may even be reduced to about six a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resiper cent. by heating the fatty body toward 80 dent of Rue Solferino, Billancourt, Seine, centigrade and gradually adding the sulfuric 5 in the Republic of France, have invented new acid at the same time. The product now oband useful Improvements in the Treatment of tained is added to five or six times its weight Fatty Substances, of which the following is a of water, preferably hot, so as to obtain an specification, reference being had to the acemulsion, which is then passed into an autocompanying drawing,which represents in verclave or digester, such as the vessel D, rep- IO tical section an apparatus for carrying out resented in the accompanyingdrawing. This my invention. vessel should be capable of sustaining a pres- My invention relates to the treatment of sure of about five kilogramsper square cenfatty bodies or substances to produce saponitimeter and is connected with any suitable fication and to convert the oleic acid into solid source of electricity by two conductors A B,

15 fatty acids, and has for its object to provide of which B is in direct electrical connection a process for treating any kind of fatty subwith the body of the vessel, which thus constances or bodiessuch as tallow, oils, vegestitutes one of two electrodes. The cover E table butter, oleic acid, &c.with a view of for the hermetic closure of said vessel is furproducing saponification, if desired-that is nished with an insulating stuffing-box J,

20 to say, when treating neutral fatty bodies through which the conductorA penetrates to and in all cases with a view of converting the the interior of the vessel, in the center of oleic acid into solid fatty acids analogous to which is placed the second electrode F, which those used in the manufacture of candles. is of carbon and is suspended from the con- The improved process consists, essentially, ductor A by means of the conducting-clamp 25 in treating fatty substances or bodies with K. The said vessel is supported over a firesulfuric acid and subjecting the product or place or heater G by any suitable supports, compound thus obtained after being mixed as legs I. with water to the simultaneous action of an The electrical current employed is by prefelectric current, pressure, and heat. ence a continuous one of a strength sufficient 0 The fatty substances or bodies to be operto decompose the acidulated water which is ated upon are first treated with sulfuric acid. in the apparatus, so that, all proportions be- For this treatment the said bodies must be in ing preserved, the conditions that must be a fluid condition, and if it is a solid body complied with are the same as those for a cursuch as tallow, for example-I dissolve the rent which decomposes the water in a voltam- 35 same in a fatty liquid, such as oleic acid or eter. oil. After the emulsion has been passed into the In carrying out my process the procedure vessel D, as above described, said vessel is is as follows: To the fatty substance, liquid closed and its temperature is sufficiently inor liquefied, as above described, I add ordicreased to raise the pressure to three, four,

40 nary sulfuric acid. This acid is added in small or five kilograms per square centimeter, and quantities at a time, and the quantity emthen an electric current is passed through the ployed varies to a large extent with the manmass by means of the electrodes, so as to dener of procedure. For example, if the sulfucompose the water. After a certain interval, ric acid is added drop by drop while the liqwhich varies according to the nature of the 5 uid under treatment is mixed and agitated body under treatment, the saponification is 5 and then the Whole is allowed to stand for a complete and the fatty acids float on the top, few hours the quantity of acid used can be while the glycerin and the sulfuric acid rereduced to ten per cent. or twelve per cent. main dissolved in the mother-lye.

On the other hand, if precautions are not The free oleic acid which may have been so taken it may be necessary to use as much as added tothe fatty body or which is a result of the saponification is entirely or for the great part converted into solid fatty acids, and the same result will be obtained if the fatty body subjected to the process described is merely oleic acid more or less pure.

The process is stopped after the simultaneous treatment by heat, pressure, and electric current has been sufficiently prolonged, and the magma of fatty acids is then removed from the apparatus and subjected to the usual treatment employed in the manufacture of stearin.

As to the chemical action involved in the process, I have found it impossible to explain it scientifically. It is a fact that if the current is not caused to pass the transformation of the liquid oleic acid liberated from glycerin by saponification is not obtained in solid products capable of being employed for the manufacture of candles, while if the current is made to pass this transformation is rapidly efiected. This is a fact that practice demonstrates with certainty.

The mother-lyes are treated in the ordinary PAUL MAGNIER. \Vitnesses:

EDWARD P. MACLEAN, ALOIDE FABE. 

